When Terrell Owens arrived in Dallas, he told Cowboys fans to get their popcorn ready. But he has played this season as if his fingers are covered with that fake movie butter.

Owens dropped two passes yesterday in the Cowboys’ 23-20 victory over the Giants, one killing a critical Cowboys drive late in the third quarter. He now has 12 drops, the most in the NFL.

The mouthy receiver did make his share of catches yesterday at Giants Stadium, leading the Cowboys with eight receptions for 84 yards.

But the drops were more memorable.

The first came just four minutes into the game.

Owens ran a slant across the middle, and Tony Romo put the ball just in front of him.

Owens short-armed the catch, though, and the ball grazed his fingertips.

The second one came with the score tied 10-10, 15 seconds left in the third quarter and the Cowboys on the Giants’ 16. On third-and-seven, Romo lined up in the shotgun.

He threw to Owens in the middle of the field, but the ball sailed right through the receiver’s hands. If Owens had caught the ball, he would have been close to a first down. Instead, the Cowboys had to settle for a Martin Gramatica field goal.

Owens has been plagued by dropped passes this season.

He took the blame for his team’s loss to Washington when he dropped one fourth down pass and another potential 74-yard touchdown catch. He’s dropped two passes in the end zone, and Giants fans will remember him dropping a fourth-down pass when the two teams met in Dallas in October.

The Cowboys knew they were taking a risk when they signed the controversial receiver to a three-year, $25 million deal before this season.

They probably did not think they would have to worry about his on-field performance, though. As problematic as Owens has been in Philadelphia and San Francisco, his previous home addresses, he’s always performed on the field.

Owens did come up with three catches on the Cowboys’ fourth-quarter scoring drive that put them up 20-13.